


drive your way into the future (drive your way into my heart)

by abrightgrayworld



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Korrasami Secret Santa 2018, Marriage Proposal, Racing, i made up the racing stuff so sorry if that's inaccurate (which it probably is?), this was super fun to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 11:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17140586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abrightgrayworld/pseuds/abrightgrayworld
Summary: Korra sprinted the two of them out the door, downstairs, and outside. She set Asami down onto her feet and metalbent their garage door open, ignoring Asami’s huff of exasperation.A row of four gleaming cars sat proudly in the garage. They were Asami’s personal pride and joy, all completely built and tended to by her. Two were for everyday commercial use and two for the racetrack.Korra turned to look at Asami, a playful, challenging glint in her eyes. “Wanna race?”--Or: Korra and Asami go head to head in a race. It doesn't quite turn out as either of them expect.





	drive your way into the future (drive your way into my heart)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spiceweaselstar](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=spiceweaselstar).



> This is a gift for spiceweaselstar on Tumblr for the Korrasami Secret Santa 2018 Gift Exchange! I hope you enjoy it! <3

“Goddamn _bastard_ ,” Asami muttered to herself, fuming as she stomped up the steps to the apartment. “Misogynistic, opportunistic piece of shit! I am going to kill him. I’m going to—ugh!” She threw the door to the apartment wide open, reveling in the _bang_ it made. A responding _thud_ made her look up, and she saw Korra on the floor, clearly having fallen off the couch in surprise. She opened her mouth to apologize, but all that came out was an incoherent groan.

“Uh, Asami?” Korra said, picking herself up off the ground and flopping back on the couch. “Are you okay?”

Without replying, Asami collapsed onto the couch on top of Korra, her head finding the crook of her neck, and let out a muffled scream of frustration into her shoulder.

“Asami,” Korra said again, softer this time. Her arms snaked around Asami in one of her wonderful, warm, I’m-going-to-crush-your-ribcage-but-you’ll-love-it hugs. “Hey, babe. What’s wrong?”

“Guess,” Asami said flatly. Even without looking at her, she felt Korra’s wince.

“Earth Kingdom production company asshole still being an asshole?” she said.

Asami gritted her teeth. “I’ve been in three meetings him and every time, he’s been nothing but condescending to me because I’m a woman. Never mind that I’m the youngest person to lead an operation the size of Future Industries, never mind that I’ve been doing this basically my entire life since I was a teenager, never _goddamn_ mind that this deal going through would give his company the boost he needs to become competitive! Just because I’m a woman, he keeps implying that he knows better than I do. And then today was the last straw, because he brought up my father.”

Korra went rigid. “Asami—”

“I dumped him, don’t worry. Future Industries won’t be doing business with him,” Asami said. “The way he’s going, his company is going to go bankrupt in a matter of months, so I’ll be looking into his employees and seeing if I can offer them work. No reason for them to lose their jobs because of their boss’s incompetence.” Asami blew out a long breath and sagged against Korra, the tension suddenly bleeding out of her as exhaustion crept in. Korra’s arms tightened around her.

“Do you want me to rough him up a little bit? Let him know you’ve got the Avatar on your side?” Korra asked, the lightness of her voice not completely masking the concern underneath. Asami knew that Korra wouldn’t confront people for her without her explicit permission—they had had a _long_ talk about Korra charging in and fighting her battles for her early in their relationship, and things had improved on that front.

But the thought of Korra punching him in the face was just so tempting…

Asami groaned again and shook her head. “No, I just…need to let this go. It’s just one more guy. I’ve dealt with this a thousand times and I’m going to deal with it a thousand more.”

Korra sighed. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to put up with it. But I’ll be here to listen every time you do, okay?” She kissed Asami on the cheek, and Asami gave her a small smile.

“Spirits, I need to unwind,” she said, pulling back from Korra. She felt Korra’s eyes sweep over her properly, likely taking in the smudges of grease on her face and hands, tangled hair, and the dark circles under her eyes.

“Hmm, you know what would make you feel better?” Korra said, her eyes suddenly alight with excitement.

“What?” Asami asked, a bubble of laughter already starting to form in her chest. Korra’s enthusiasm was infectious.

“It’s a surprise!” Korra stood up abruptly and, without warning, swept Asami into her arms. Asami shrieked and burst into startled, delighted laughter as Korra sprinted the two of them out the door, downstairs, and outside. She set Asami down onto her feet and metalbent their garage door open, ignoring Asami’s huff of exasperation.

A row of four gleaming cars sat proudly in the garage. They were Asami’s personal pride and joy, all completely built and tended to by her. Two were for everyday commercial use and two for the racetrack.

Korra turned to look at Asami, a playful, challenging glint in her eyes. “Wanna race?”

***

The sun was just starting to set when they turned onto the racetrack. “This is a terrible idea,” Asami said, glancing at Korra in the mirror.

Korra smirked. “Afraid you’re going to lose?” she taunted.

Asami exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. “As if. I’m just scared my cars are going to explode again.”

“Hey! That was one time!” Korra said indignantly, pointing a finger at her. “I’m an amazing driver now. I haven’t crashed into anything in months.”

“We’ll see about that,” Asami said skeptically. She turned off the ignition and pressed the button to release the magnetic lock that held both cars together, allowing them to separate. Korra watched her pat the dashboard proudly. Asami had worked for weeks on that particular invention.

Korra vaulted out of Asami’s racecar and jogged to hers, a sleek, white vehicle she called “Motor-Naga.” She turned to face Asami and crossed her arms, noting the wild, competitive grin on her girlfriend’s face and matching it with her own. “Alright, then,” Korra said. “Terms?”

“Three rounds around the track,” Asami said promptly. “Honour code and the dashboard cameras to figure out who wins. What does the winner get?”

Korra cracked her knuckles. “We’ll figure that out later. Let’s get this show on the road.”

They drove their cars to the starting line where the motorized referee box stood, eyeing each other out of the corners of their eyes. Korra hadn’t been lying; she really could drive now, not just without crashing but actually skillfully. She could tell Asami was watching the smooth way she handled Motor-Naga and hid a smile, focusing solely now on the track in front of her.

The machine whirred as soon as they were stopped at the line. A black-and-white checkered flag smoothly retracted out from the top of the metal box, settling into a vertical groove. “Drivers, ready,” said a robotic voice. Asami flipped on her goggles and Korra did the same. “Get set! _Go!_ ” The flag dropped down the groove and Korra stomped on the gas, swearing as Asami easily took the lead.

“No, you don’t!” she grunted, pressing harder on the pedal and turning into the inside of the track, trying to edge Asami to the outer edges and slow her down. She bumped the back of Asami’s car as she veered closer, and Asami swerved a little, but not enough for Korra to get close to the inner track or get ahead.

They were approaching the end of their first lap. Korra fought not to clench her fists on the steering wheel and thought furiously. An idea struck her. She stared at her hands, and then ahead at Asami’s car, which was steadily getting further ahead.

Well… _technically_ , it wasn’t cheating. Asami hadn’t mentioned anything about it in the terms, after all.

Korra closed her eyes for a moment and resigned herself to several nights of sleeping on the couch. This would be completely worth it, though.

The line loomed ahead. Just as Asami neared it, Korra stood up slightly out of her seat and earthbent surreptitiously from behind the wheel, bending a speed bump just slight enough that Asami might not notice it. Asami flew over it but Korra’s plan worked—she slowed. Korra _floored_ the gas and just crossed the line before Asami.

“Two laps remaining. Car 2 in the lead,” said the robotic voice, and from behind her, Korra heard Asami’s startled yell.

“Yes!” Korra crowed and whooped loudly. She turned into the inside of the track fully, pressing the pedal so hard she could barely feel her foot. Asami was right behind her, scowling fiercely, but Korra stuck close to the inside and Asami couldn’t get past her.

“Come on, come on, come on,” Korra chanted. Half a lap more until the second lap was done. She just had to hold on—

Motor-Naga juddered and Korra gasped audibly above the sudden squeal of metal on metal. “No! You didn’t!” she yelled.

But Asami had. She had hit Korra with her own car, not enough to hurt her, but enough to cause her car to squeeze against the railing lining the inside of the track. Korra turned the wheel in a white-knuckled grip and let up on the gas, coasting to keep straight on the path. It cost her a precious few seconds.

Asami graced her with a smirk as she flew into the lead. The message was clear: _if you play dirty, so will I._

“One lap remaining. Car 1 in the lead,” said the robotic voice.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Korra muttered. She stomped on the gas again and stayed close behind Asami’s car. “Think, Korra, think.”

They had half a lap left, and in her current position behind Asami, there was nothing Korra could do that would guarantee her a win. She thought about ramming into Asami like she had done earlier, but she didn’t have the skill Asami did to pull it off without risking hurting her. Half a lap also wasn’t enough to pull a subtle move like she had earlier—Asami was on the lookout now, and she would be sure to correct anything small Korra did.

So, if not something small…

Korra glimpsed the finish line and blew out a breath. “Go big or go home,” she said to herself.

She released the pedal slightly and turned her car to speed alongside the outside track. She saw Asami’s eyes narrow in confusion and suspicion—the outer track had a greater circumference and more distance to cover towards the finish line. Korra was putting herself at a huge disadvantage.

She was also putting herself at a great enough distance away from Asami to avoid what was going to happen next.

Breathing in deeply, Korra stood up, knees bent so that both her feet and all her weight were on the pedal. She lifted her arms, and then, fluidly circling her arms, she airbent. She stirred up gales of wind and directed them towards the front of Asami’s car.

Asami’s eyes widened in shock. Korra saw her lean forward and press on her pedal, but it wasn’t enough to fight the winds. Korra seized her chance. She dropped her arms and allowed the last of the gales to die down As she did so, she turned the wheel and jerked onto the track in front of Asami, then drove for a few more breathless seconds, frantically eyeing the track behind her.

The robotic voice let out a few monotone chirps. “Race complete. Car 2 wins.”

Korra brought her car to a stop. She got out on suddenly wobbly legs and flipped up her goggles, watching as a glowering Asami crossed the finish line in her car.

“You _cheater_!” Asami shouted, vaulting out of her car in an incredibly smooth (and hot, Korra’s brain helpfully supplied) move. She pushed her goggles onto her head. “You broke the rules! You bent!”

“It wasn’t cheating! You didn’t say anything about it in the terms.”

“It was implied!”

“Aren’t you the one always talking about reading the fine print? Nothing was implied. I won fair and square.”

Asami crossed her arms and glared at her. Korra let her stew for a couple of seconds, and then sighed, grinning. “Okay, fine, I cheated. I knew I couldn’t win without it, babe. And hey, I had another really great reason.”

“Oh, really.” Asami’s gaze was flat. “Do tell.”

Korra shrugged. “If I had let you win as easily as you would have without me bending, you wouldn’t be so relaxed.” Asami stared at her, brows furrowed, and then looked down at herself. Korra continued. “You put everything you had into trying to beat me in that race, and you’re so much calmer now. You needed to unwind, and now you have.”

Asami covered her face with her hands and groaned. A smile peeked through her fingers. “I feel like that’s bullshit, but it’s really sweet bullshit.”

“It’s not!” Korra said. She let her smile turn softer. “I meant it, ‘Sami. I really wanted to help. I’m sorry I cheated, but I hope you feel better.”

Asami dropped her hands, lips curving up. “I hate to admit it, but it actually worked.”

Korra gave her a sheepish look “So…do I get a prize now? Winner’s choice?”

Asami snorted. She pulled herself onto the hood of her car and leaned back on her hands. “You’re never going to win again, so sure, I’ll let you have this one.”

Korra thought for a few moments, then looked up at her girlfriend, opening her mouth to speak. Her words died on her lips.

Asami’s ponytail was half-undone, some strands of thick black hair drifting around her face haphazardly and others resting in a tangled mess on her head. Her face was tipped up into the cool wind, eyes closed and lashes resting on her cheeks, highlighting the smudges of black oil still on her face and the shadows underneath her eyes. She was lit by the glow of the sunset, bathed in the gold of the last few dying rays.

She was the most beautiful thing Korra had ever seen.

“Well?” Asami murmured. “What are your demands, Avatar?”

Korra didn’t think before she said it. “Marry me.”

There was a moment of stillness so profound that even the slight whistle of the breeze sounded like a roar. As if she were afraid to move, Asami slowly, slowly turned her head to look at Korra. Her eyes were open, wide, and suddenly shining.

“What?”

Korra’s heart thudded in her chest. “This—I—I mean—This wasn’t how I planned to ask. There were supposed to be candles, and a dinner, and music, and dancing, and I, I—but I—” She steeled herself and met Asami’s tremulous gaze. “But I don’t think there’s a moment more perfect than this.”

Korra shoved a trembling hand deep into her pocket and drew out the object she had been keeping on her for the last month.

“Water Tribe betrothal necklaces are supposed to be made out of stone or polished glass, usually,” Korra said, words stumbling over each other as she fought back her nerves. She walked over to the hood of Asami’s car where she sat and stepped into the vee of her legs. “But I thought you might appreciate this more.”

Asami’s fingers reached out to trace the engraved metal betrothal necklace. “How?” she asked, voice breaking as tears crept down her cheeks.

Korra laughed shakily. “Suyin taught me how to hand-carve the metal when she visited last month. She does it as a hobby, apparently.” She took a deep breath and grabbed Asami’s hands, nestling the betrothal necklace in them.

“Asami Sato,” she said, “You’re the kindest, most hardworking, and most brilliant person I’ve ever met. I love you so much, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

Asami let out a hiccupping gasp and nodded fervently. “Yes. Spirits, Korra, yes!”

Korra beamed past her own tears and clasped the necklace around Asami’s neck. They stared at it for a little while, watching it glint until the sun finally set beyond the horizon and darkness started to fall. Then, they wiped away their tears and gazed at each other softly.

“I love you so much,” Asami said and kissed her, long and slow and sweet. She tasted of lipstick and oil and the wind and the salt of tears. It was intoxicating.

“Let’s get back. Celebrate properly,” Korra said, voice just on the edge of suggestive. Asami raised an eyebrow, then pushed back, flipping herself neatly over the hood into the seat of her car.

“Race you there,” she said, and drove out in a squeal of tires, hair finally escaping her ponytail and streaming behind her.

Korra grinned, her heart so light it felt like it was floating. It was on.

Their laughter mingled together and drifted on the wind as they made their way home.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I struggled to make both of them in-character; I'd appreciate any comments about that or about the fic at all! Kudos, comments, and bookmarks are my lifeblood! <3 
> 
> Thank you all for reading, and have a wonderful holiday!


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